v3.6.8 Noise Blanker.. And it still doesn't work..

Bumperscoot · January 21

Just curious, but does the Noise Blanker do anything but turn blue for anyone else?
I just upgraded to v3.6.8 and alas, the noise blanker does absolutely nothing..

My power utility creates significant localized interference and I rely on an effective NB during those periods. Enabling the NB on my 6600 is hit or miss.. Sometimes it's effective for 10 or 15 seconds and gets my hopes up that I might complete a QSO, but most of the time it's just a blue square and slider and I must move a QSO to my Pro III or Collins..
FYI, the NB in my Pro III works like a champ, and the outboard Timewave 599zx (now 30 yrs old) on my Collins S-Line is even better.

I find it frustrating that a $5k radio less than a year old doesn't have this down to a science. C'mon Flex.. Seriously? My 30 yr old Timewave runs circles around your noise filter and blanker!

I love the TX performance of my 6600 and the receiver is absolutely fantastic.
Unfortunately, the lack of a simple, functioning, effective noise blanker really makes operating this Linux rig frustrating..

Amalgamate your feces Flex.. Get this fixed!

Steve N2JXL

Trucker · January 21

Unfortunately, when it comes to noise blankers, there is no on size fits all. If you are using the basic noise blanker in SmartSDR, try using the Wide Noise Blanker ( WNB) instead. You may have set it to it's maximum setting with the slider and give it some time to lock on to the interference you are experiencing.

I have found that no noise blanker works with every kind of noise source. Same thing with the Automatic Notch Filter. The ANF in the Icom 73000 I had worked better than the one in SmartSDR. It seems to be the nature of the beast.

With noise blankers,there is no way to code one for every type of noise we might encounter in different areas of the country.

James

WD5GWY

Neil D Friedman N3DF · January 21

Per the manual, use a minimal WNB setting for large impulse noise.

DL4RCE · January 21

It is simple. NB/WNB/NR/ANF are not "state of the art" and everyone knows. Personally I do not even use it. Try NB/NB2 with an Anan / Yaesu rig and you know what I mean. Nevertheless using RF Gain & AGC-T it immensely can help to have good sounding audio with reduced noise.

But considering it is software that has to be implemented it will be worked on & in backlog I assume. Other things like "Multiflex", "CW" have priority and were improved considerably.

Try to use an Anan rig or latest Yaesu remotely...

As often in life there is a trade-off. Everyone has to decide which road to choose.

John KB4DU · January 25

The WNB feature was specifically developed for power line noise. There was a noisey transformer near the flex building. It takes it a few seconds to sync with the noise.

bahillen · January 26

My old noise limiter of years ago was simple flip the switch on or off. If it didn’t fix the problem you started looking for the source and called the electric company or traced it to a neighbor.

With the new SDR radios there are so many functions you have many choices and combinations, it is overwhelming at times. As I get more attuned to my noise I find I can make a tremendous improvement in pulling stations out of the noise. I have no pulse noise so WNB does not affect me. NB helps. APF helps a little.

The big contributor for me is AGC-T. Getting it just right to get the maximum desired to minimum noise. Also, the equalizer helps a lot by matching audio bandpass with the mode you are using. Eg. CW 500 and 1,000 max and others minimum. SSB likewise.

I agree that some radios may be better and some may be better with your noise source. Maybe Flex engineers could reverse engineer the better performers and get a boost. That would be nice.

It seems that the identification of severe noise sources and resolution is a lost art in ham radio. If you remediate the noise problem you will be ahead with any radio.

The latest release was a huge improvement in CW TX. Hopefully noise improvements will follow. With all the new home solar systems and LED products new noise sources are on the way.

73

Bill

W9JJB

James Del Principe · January 26

Consider too, all the new sources of noise in our environment. AC (wall warts) adapters did not exist years ago. My furnace has a microprocessor that is very dirty, putting out hash every 90 KHZ across 20 Meters.

My old boiler had a Honeywell thermostat with a little bulb of mercury. Worked fine and lasted forever. So covering all these new sources is certainly a challenge. My TS 990 had a great noise reduction, NR1 and NR2.

They were very effective. The NR in my 6500 just muffles the signal as if it just cut all the highs. I'm sure Flex can do better. They have the engineering talent. It is a matter of will. Best 73 All, Jim

K9YK · January 28

WNB works very well on power line noise at my QTH. However, for anyone using a radio manufactured since March 2023, WNB is non-functional. When WNB is engaged, it “trains” itself based on the noise it detects and then eliminates the noise. The training cycle can be seen in messages in the Flex API as well as by the flashing WNB displayed in the upper right corner of the spectrum display.

The problem with radios manufactured since March of 2023 is that the training cycle never occurs, so noise is never eliminated. There is a bug ticket open for this, but it’s getting close to a year now and Flex has not yet addressed it.

SMART-9512 - WNB Not working on newer radio

km8v · January 29

https://community.flexradio.com/discussion/comment/20608819#Comment_20608819

Wow, is this true? If so , when can I expect this to be fixed for my radio?

K9YK · January 30

Yes, it’s true. Here’s a video I made that shows the problem. I borrowed my friend’s 6500 and ran it side by side with my 6600. Both radios are using the same antenna via a coax switch. The 6500 is on the left and my new 6600 is on the right.

https://youtu.be/raKfM_AQCc4?si=Y0xr45IBXa5jbkse

v3.6.8 Noise Blanker.. And it still doesn't work..

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